2026-01-19
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How Fuxia Dunlop became a Sichuan food hero by Leslie T.
Cheng, read by Jinia Cheng.
Every autumn in the mid-2000s, when I lived in China, my friend Scarlett Lee would invite me to Shanghai to eat hairy crab.
Named for the spiky fur on their legs and claws, the crabs are said to have the best flavor during the ninth month of the lunar calendar.
Their steamed and served whole with a dip of rice vinegar spiked with ginger.
The most prized specimens come from Yangcheng Lake near Suzhou, which is not far from Scarlett's hometown of Wuxi.
She had moved to Hong Kong as a child, attended high school and college in Australia, and returned to China to pursue a career as an entrepreneur.
Despite her years abroad, she remained Chinese through and through.
and eating hairy crab with her, I became Chinese too.
Beginning in the Tang dynasty in the 7th century, crabs were harvested from the lakes and estuaries of the Yangtze Delta and sent as tribute to the imperial court.
12th century Hangzhou had specialized crab markets and dedicated crab restaurants.
I have lusted after crabs all my life wrote the 17th century playwright Li Yu.
From the first day of the crab season until the last day they are sold, I do not let a single evening pass without eating them.
Dear crab, dear crab, you and I, are we to be lifelong companions?
In invitation to a banquet, the story of Chinese food, Fuxia Dunlop traces the history of this remarkable cuisine through 30 dishes.
from slow-raised pork belly to steamed rice.
There are ten mentions of hairy crab, not to be confused with crab that's roasted, baked, shredded, stuffed into soup dumplings or steamed buns, or marinated in liquor and served raw in a dish called drunken crab, which gets its own chapter.